Lesson 2: Visual Grammar


Unit Topic: Sydeny: Then, Now, Tand Tomorrow
Curriculum Link: HSIE
Yr Level: stage2, yr 4
Lesson Number: 2
Lesson Topic: Visual grammar
Learning Area(s): English and HSIE
Unit Aim or Outcome:
The aim of this lesson is to provide students with the skill of analysing visual grammar. Students will be able to understand the position the image maker is persuading them to take and what elements about the image provoke them to feel the way they do.

Outcome HSIE: CCS2.2- Explains change in the community and family life and evaluates the effects of these on the different individuals, groups and environments

Lesson Outcome:

TS2.1- Communicates in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum.
- Justifies a point of view with supporting evidence
- Discusses and reflects upon a variety of responses and views
TS2.2- Interacts effectively in groups and pairs, adopting a range of roles, uses a variety of media and uses various listening strategies for different situations.
- Listens to spoken presentations and responds appropriately
- Responds to different viewpoints in a discussion.
RS2.7- Discusses how writers relate to their readers in different ways, how they create a variety of worlds through language and how they use, language to achieve a wide range of purposes.
- Distinguishes between fact and opinion
- Identifies writers intended audience
- Identifies writers intended viewpoint
- Makes comparisons and identifies differences between text produced in different media
- Talks about different interpretations of written and visual texts

Resources:

1) Boystown lottery poster 391 and pamphlet
http://www.boystown.com.au/lot/lifestyle/391/- lottery 390 lesson 2
http://www.boystown.com.au/lot/lifestyle/390/ -virtual tour (resource 2)http://www.boystown.com.au/lot/lifestyle/390/vt/entry.html (resource 2)


-
visual grammar points on board
- white board, black board, smart board
- boystown poster
- Draft paper, pens, pencils, coloured pencils.
- Students “draft” images



Lesson Outline:
Introduction:
Recap of visual grammar
students analyse development flyers
Body:

Analysis of boystown poster
Development of draft image

Conclusion:
Presentation of draft image

Introduction:

See teaching and learning strategies/activities

Teaching strategy/Learning Activity:
Students
Teacher
Introduction: 5 minutes
Students listen to teacher and observe recap topics on board
Students sit on floor in front of class





part 2 of introduction: 15 minutes



Students work in their groups and sort the pictures into categories:

- Most appealing
- Least appealing
- Neutral
Students provide reasons for their choices.
E.g.- why is picture A more appealing to you than picture B

- what about the picture makes you like it or not?
- who is the picture targeting, the community, families, the individual? Why?


Students set up in pre determined groups and assigned a desk to work on.
Students work in their groups and categorise their pictures according to the categories

Students provide reasoning for their categorisation.

Body: 20 minutes

10 minutes:

Students look at how the advertisement is positioning them as a consumer( someone who would desire to buy it or provide their consent for its construction)
Students participate in the questioning and think about who their image needs to appeal to for their proposal to be successfully accepted.




10 minutes:

Students move back to desks.
Students move back into their groups and design/draft an image of a "pretend" development proposal with text.

(the image is not used as their final image, it is just a practise run to generate ideas)
Students brain storm how they will position the “consumer” through use of text, angles, shots, colour, size and use of space.


Recaps on what students know about visual grammar

How texts and images position you, using:
Descriptive words - adjectives. (Luxury, modern, spacious, timeless etc.)
Angles which direct you to a certain focal point
Colour, dynamics, form, balance, space and size.
Features- Representational, interactive or compositional

Target audience/reader/consumer.


Teacher provides students with a magnitude of real estate pamphlets, advertisements for development and floors plans.

Teacher places boystown poster on board
Teacher highlights how angles, colour, type of shot used, use of descriptive text all influence the reader into taking a position.
Teacher asks students how they would construct the image of their proposal to appeal to their “consumer”

Who will their image be aimed at?



Teacher explains to students they will now draft a hypothetical(pretend) development proposal image using the examples as ideas to draw from.

Concluding strategy:

Students present their image to the class, explaining the reasoning for their choice of image design in terms of:
Colour
Angles
Size
Text
Type of shot used

Features- Representational, interactive or compositional.

Assessment:
Teacher uses a checklist developed from the stated outcomes and indicators.
While students discuss, work on their images and present their images to the class, the teacher ticks off certain indicators to monitor students learning.

Any special considerations or contingency plans:
Students are placed in pre deterimned groups, depending on their needs. Pre determined grouping cuts down on wasted time and fights between peers concerning who will be in whose group.